Evelyn Bookle

Died on July 2, 2015

Grennan, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Died Thursday 2nd July 2015 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny. Rosary at 8pm on Friday at St. Columba’s Hospital Mortuary. Funeral Mass at 11am on Saturday in the Church of the Assumption, Thomastown followed by burial in St. Mary’s New Cemetery. May she rest in peace.

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Reflection

The temptation is to be “closed off.” The disciples would like to hinder a good deed simply because it is performed by someone who does not belong to their group. They think they have the “exclusive right over Jesus,” and that they are the only ones authorized to work for the Kingdom of God.
But we need to be vigilant about closure in the Church too. … Sometimes we too, instead of being humble and open communities, can give the impression of being the “top of the class” and keep others at a distance. Instead of trying to walk with everyone, we can show off our “believer’s license”: “I am a believer”, “I am Catholic”, “I belong to this association, to that one”, and the others, poor things, do not.
This is a sin. Showing off one’s “believer’s license” to judge and exclude. Let us ask for the grace to overcome the temptation to judge and to categorize, and may God preserve us from the “nest” mentality, that of jealously guarding ourselves in the small group of those who consider themselves good: the priest with his loyal followers, the pastoral workers closed off among themselves so that no one can infiltrate, the movements and associations in their own particular charism, and so on. Closed.
All this runs the risk of turning Christian communities into places of separation and not of communion. The Holy Spirit does not want closure; He wants openness, welcoming communities where there is a place for everyone
Pope Francis